John James Audubon (born Haiti, 1785; died New York, New York, January 27, 1851) was an ornithologist and artist. One of his most famous works is The Birds of America, sketches of 1065 birds. The National Audubon Society, a conservation group, was named in honor of him. Children can learn more at: Audubon.
Patricia Reilly Giff (born Brooklyn, New York, 1935; died Trumbull, Connecticut, June 22, 2021) wrote more than 100 children’s books. She is known for her Polk Street School series. She received two Newbery Honor Awards: Lily’s Crossing in 1998 and Pictures of Hollis Woods in 2003.
Marilyn Nelson (born Cleveland, Ohio, 1946) is a poet and a writer of children’s books. She also translates the works of others. Her books include Carver, a Life of Poems, which received a 2002 Newbery Honor Award, and Beautiful Ballerina. Children can learn more at: http://marilyn-nelson.com/.
Frederick Law Olmsted (born Hartford, Connecticut, 1822; died Waverly, Massachusetts, August 28, 1903) designed Central Park and other parks. He was also commissioner of Yosemite National Park.
I(eoh) M(ing) Pei (born Guangzhou, China, 1917; died New York, New York, May 16, 2019) was a prominent architect. He came to the United States in 1935 and studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard. After becoming an American citizen in 1954, he started his own firm. Some of his designs include the John Hancock Tower, the East Building of the National Gallery of Art, and the famous pyramid entrance to the Louvre in Paris.
